Brown rollrim - Paxillus involutus
- The Foraging Course Company
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Deadly poisonous mushroom - novice identification Season - summer to autumn Common names Brown rollrim, poison Paxillus, brown chanterelle, poison Pax, inrolled Pax, common rollrim, naked brimcap
Scientific name meaning: Paxillus is Latin for a peg or small stake, while involutus comes from Involvo, which means roll or wrap up
Habitat  A mycorrhizal fungus found with broad leaf trees, particularly birch. |
Overall structure and growth  A short-stemmed mushroom with an often mis-shapen, funnelled cap. It can be found in small groups and individually. |
Cap  The pale brown cap is usually between 5 and 12cm. It starts off dome shaped with a thick roll at the edge covering the gills. At this stage it has a velvety feel. It flattens out, exposing the gills, and depresses in the middle, with a small central umbo (bump). It retains and inrolled edge, but the velvety texture disappears with age. Its edge is often wavy or misshapen. |
Gills and spores  The deeply decurrent gills start off a pale yellow-brown, turning more brown with age. They often have red-brown spots and bruise brown if damaged. The spores are red-brown. |
Stem  Sturdy and up to 12cm long, it is usually around 1cm wide. It is pale yellow-brown, turning more brown with age. It bruises brown if damaged. The stem has no skirt/ring. |
Flesh and smell  Pale yellow-brown flesh bruises red-brown when damaged. The smell is not distinctive. Tasting this mushroom is not advised due to its toxicity. |
Possible lookalikes  Young specimens could be confused with chanterelles, but these are golden yellow rather than brown, or the velevet rollrim (Tapinella atrotomentosa), pictured, which gtrows on wood and has a velvety brown stem. Could also be confused with other poisonous Paxillus, some of which require microscopy to differentiate. |
Poisonous parts All parts of this mushroom are deadly poisonous do not consume. Uncooked it is immediately deadly poisonous. Cooked and processed, its poisonous effects are cumulative Hazards This mushroom is deadly poisonous do not consume
Use in herbal medicine and medicine This mushroom is deadly poisonous do not consume If you are suffering from any ailment or need medical advice, please see your General Practitioner Other uses None known Importance to other species Slugs and snails often eat these mushrooms
Always stay safe when foraging. You need to be 100% sure of your identification, 100% sure that your foraged item is edible, and 100% sure that you are not allergic to it (it is good practice to always try a small amount of any new food you are consuming). If in doubt, leave it out!
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